The Black River Film Festival (BRFF) 2025 is set to bring co-productions, film distribution and finance opportunities to the south coast of Jamaica.

The festival promises two exciting days of film screenings, panel discussions, master classes, networking opportunities, food, refreshments, and musical treats on Friday, June 27 and Saturday June 28, 2025 at Cloggy’s on the Beach, Black River, St Elizabeth.

This forum aims to bridge the Caribbean with global film markets and will feature international film producers, distributors, and content executives from platforms such as Netflix (Samad Davis) and Canal+ International (Cédric Pierre-Louis).

The festival will include other local and international film industry leaders such as Jamaica’s film commissioner Jackie Jackson; USA film producers Angela White and Dolapo Erinkitola; global media collaborations champion Wendy Parkies from South Africa; and other creatives such as popular British travel blogger Jetsetter Jackie, and Jamaica’s comedian and content creator Evy Royal.

The festival will also include musical performances from Mutabaruka as the resident DJ on Friday night, June 27 and Duane Stephenson and Bugle will deliver special live performances on Saturday night, June 28.

The focus on co-productions and distribution reflects a growing demand for cross-border collaboration in the global film industry.

“The Jamaica Tourist Board is proud to support the Black River Film Festival… By spotlighting St Elizabeth’s authentic cultural experiences and stunning locations, the festival creates valuable international partnerships that will ultimately showcase Jamaica to global audiences, inspiring travellers to explore our beautiful island beyond the traditional hot spots,” said Donovan White, director of tourism, Jamaica Tourist Board.

“It’s one thing to have a vision, but to see it come to life with support is another thing. The support from our main sponsors Jamaica Tourist Board and CHASE Fund indicates strong belief in the bedrock of rural Jamaica with a clear understanding that with team work, this industry can truly transcend one person’s vision and evolve into something that the entire ecosystem can benefit from,” shared Dr Ava Eagle Brown, founder and CEO of Black River Film Festival.

From a competitive pool of 49 local and international film submissions, 15 were selected to vie for top prizes.

The Black River Film Festival weekend wraps with a special edition of Unscripted Sundays, a relaxed, intimate beachfront script reading by Jamaican actors and a networking event spotlighting unproduced Jamaican film and TV scripts in the presence of global film distributors, members of the international press, and other local and international creatives on Sunday, June 29 at Cloggy’s on the Beach.